


Birthday

by tcarroll_12



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Parent Alec Hardy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:20:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22970884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tcarroll_12/pseuds/tcarroll_12
Summary: Daisy's birthday is coming up. Alec got her the best present ever--and she turns it into something even better for him. Very very minor Hardy angst.
Relationships: Alec Hardy & Daisy Hardy, Alec Hardy/Ellie Miller
Comments: 3
Kudos: 49





	1. Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Lindsey Stirling obviously, but I love her music.

“Hiya, Dad.” Daisy’s voice instantly lifted Alec’s heart, like a breeze blowing through the stale, overgrown field of his soul. 

“Hiya, darlin’.” He couldn’t keep the smile from his voice. “How's school going? How’s your mum doing?”

He was relieved to hear a smile in her voice too. “School's still school, nothing new there.”

“No boyfriend yet?” Alec teased, earning him an embarrassed groan from his daughter. He could practically feel her eyes rolling at him through the phone.

“ _No,_ Dad, I’m focusing on graduating with a 4.0 this year. Can’t afford one at the moment.”

“I’m so proud of you,” he beamed. “Ya know, honestly, not gettin’ involved in relationship drama is about the smartest thing you can do. Plenty of time afterward, when you aren’t being watched like a bloody hawk by the county.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” 

“Suffer through the ridiculous imposition of useless government-mandated education, and then you’ll be free to do whatever you want.” 

Daisy laughed. The breeze caressed Alec’s soul again, brushing warm fingertips across his heart. He missed her so much. 

“Ah, Daiz, I know it’s a ways off still,” he said, coming to the point of the call, “but you haven’t planned anything for your birthday, have you?” 

“No.” Her tone became wistful. “Lindsey Stirling is playing down in London that very weekend though; I’d love to go see her.” 

Stirling was her favorite musical performer by far; when she was younger, before he had gotten too involved with work, they used to listen to modern classical music together. 

“Oh, you mean the Crystallize tour,” said Alec offhandedly, “that someone may or may not have already got tickets for?”

Daisy’s gasp was so loud it hurt his ear. 

But he would have given anything to hear it again. 

“Dad!!” she squealed. “You’re not serious!”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” he replied, a tad indignantly. “I know she’s your favorite performer, and the fact that she’s playing on your birthday… just too good of an opportunity to pass up. I’ve got one ticket for you, one for me, and one more for whoever you want to bring with you.” _Just not Tess,_ he prayed.

Daisy was silent for a moment.

Then: “What about Ellie?”


	2. Part 2

“Ellie?!” Hardy choked out. _Not as bad as Tess, but still..._

“Yeah, you guys are still talking, right?” The hope in Daisy’s voice was palpable; Hardy couldn’t ignore it if he’d tried. After a moment, the girl added quietly, “I like her.” 

“Well, I doubt she’d be able to get the whole weekend off, seeing as I’ll be gone as well,” he explained, “but I can try and convince the chief super for at least the day of the concert.” 

Again her squeal nearly burst his eardrum; luckily his reflexes were quick enough to shove the mobile away from his ear before the brunt of the noise hit. “I’ll, ah, let you know what she says when I ask her.” He couldn’t keep from adding, “Go ahead and tell your mum for me so she doesn’t end up trying to plan anything for that same weekend, yeah?” Petty. But he thought about how happy she was, and the fact that _he_ had made her that happy, and decided he didn’t care about how petty it was anyhow. 

The conversation had to be cut short as he got a work call, so Hardy promised they’d talk more soon. He couldn’t help feeling a sense of deep satisfaction as he disconnected. _Take that and shove it, Tess._

Luckily it hadn’t taken much convincing at all for Jenkinson to approve Hardy’s request for Miller. The sergeant, for her part, was more than happy to have been invited, and eagerly anticipated the weekend of the concert. Time passed as was its wont, plans were made, hotel reservations and train tickets booked. The concert was on a Saturday, and Daisy was even able to convince Tess to let Alec pick her up Thursday night so they could go off to London the next morning, so she wasn’t traveling by herself. They’d meet Ellie at the same platform Saturday morning and she would return Sunday.

  
O. O. O. 

  
Daisy begged her dad to dress up punk for the concert —and the day—so if it hadn’t been for Alec’s habit of shouting her last name in his thick Scottish brogue back at the CID, Ellie would have walked right by them. As it was, she almost didn’t recognize Daisy either. 

It wasn’t until Hardy removed his aviator sunglasses that she recognized his scruffed face. She froze, staring at her unrecognizable boss. “Hardy?!” 

He was wearing an oversized white shirt with the sleeves cut off and a graphic of some band photo she hadn’t a clue of, a smaller black tank underneath, skinny jeans, and black Doc Martens she'd never seen before. Completing the unorthodox look was a black sweatband on one bony wrist, and two belts peeking out, one black and studded, the other cloth with checkers, underneath a red plaid button-up sweater tied around his waist. 

All Ellie could do was stare for a few moments, until Hardy gently pulled her out of the way, waving an apology to the passersby she’d been inadvertently blocking. 

“You look… Wow.” She gestured at him with an outstretched hand. “Didn’t even know you owned anything other than a suit and a jumper!” 

As Hardy merely raised an eyebrow, Daisy snickered at her reaction, almost beside herself with glee. “Told you she wouldn’t recognize you!” she crowed. 

Daisy was dressed in similar fashion, with black leggings, cherry red Docs and a plaid button-up thrown over a charcoal spaghetti tank. Ellie turned to the girl, who then stepped forward and opened her arms. Ellie hugged her tight and gave her birthday well-wishes. “Good to see you, Daiz,” she said warmly. 

They made their way back to the hotel, Hardy mostly tuning out girl talk, but more at ease with his daughter around than Ellie'd ever seen him. They dropped off Ellie’s overnight bag at the room—a suitably large affair on the eighteenth floor—and headed to the café nearby for brunch and caffeine. 

“Anything happen yesterday at work?” asked Hardy once the trio had placed their orders. Daisy had found seats at the long counter by the window, and subtly made Hardy sit between the two girls. 

“Yeah,” Miller deadpanned, “it got nice and quiet without you whinging at someone or something every five seconds.” 

Daisy erupted with laughter as Hardy rolled his eyes. 

“Oi,” the thin man warned lazily. “Keep that up all day and you might not make it back to the CID, Miller.” 

Ellie was unfazed, and grinned mischievously. “Wot, and leave poor Freddie an orphan?” 

Hardy stared right back at Ellie with a deadpan, half-lidded stare that made her stomach flutter, to her surprise. _Probably just the outfit,_ she thought, hoping she wasn’t blushing. “He loves me, and I’m sure he’d love Daisy. Plus he might actually get to try a _vegetable_ for the first time in his life.” 

“Oi!” She smacked his arm playfully, trying to keep a serious face. “I’ll haunt you from the grave and turn every single salad you eat into chip butties and bangers and mash!” 

Hardy grimaced and clutched at his chest in a mock heart attack. “Wot, and leave poor Daisy an orphan?” 

“Oooh, don’t you throw my words back at me, you knob!” _How is this happening?_ she thought, amazed. _Hardy is actually joking around! And laughing! Who are you and what have you done with my boss?_

_More importantly… can you cover for him permanently?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of this, technically, but if you want the Hardy angst, [Through the Darkness](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23047516) follows, describing Hardy’s nightmare in the hotel room.


End file.
